The City in the Middle of the Night Audiobook By Charlie Jane Anders cover art

The City in the Middle of the Night

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The City in the Middle of the Night

By: Charlie Jane Anders
Narrated by: Jennifer O'Donnell, Laura Knight Keating
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"If you control our sleep, then you can own our dreams.... And from there, it's easy to control our entire lives."

January is a dying planet - divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk.

But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.

Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.

But fate has other plans - and Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.

©2019 Charlie Jane Anders (P)2019 Recorded Books Adventure Fiction First Contact Locus Award Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction

Critic reviews

"An even stronger novel than Anders’ Nebula Award-winning All the Birds in the Sky; a tale that can stand beside such enduring works as Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Dan Simmons’ Hyperion." (Booklist, starred review)

Editor's Pick

Superb character-building
"I am such a sucker for good world building—the kind that reveals itself organically over the course of a story firmly grounded in the experience of its characters—so as it turns out, I didn’t stand a chance against the deft writing of Charlie Jane Anders. In her latest standalone novel, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author imagines a world split into a scorching permanent day and a bleak, frozen night, with only two remaining habitable cities in between. Less practiced writers may let such a vividly imagined world do much of the heavy lifting in this story, but Anders puts her characters center stage, exploring the concepts of time and power to spin a tale of survival, hope, and human (and nonhuman) connection. Jennifer O’Donnell and Laura Knight Keating provide a captivating dual narration—a structure I also can’t resist. Anders’s previous Nebula Award-winning novel, All the Birds in the Sky just made it to the top of my TBLT pile." —Sam D., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
Best book I’ve read all year. “The City in The Middle of The Night” is a deeply powerful and emotional journey through the best imagery science fiction has to offer. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Fantastic!

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I could not stop listening to this book. It reminded me a little of The Dispossessed and a little of Lilith’s Brood, but definitely had a voice and interesting themes of its own. I’m sad that it’s over and I have to go back to reading other authors. Keep writing Charlie Jane Anders! I love your work!

Incredible

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please read this book. or listen to it. it's the only time I've actually felt breathless in a positive way. the narrators here are both incredible.

this is a work of art.

absolutely breathtaking

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On the surface level this is a well-crafted piece of science fiction — but there are layers and layers of wonderful writing, centered around our reaction to the other, a coming of age story, a columbian exchange in both biological and social senses, and how memories and stories shape who we are.

Exciting and deep

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The story line was new and provided insight into how we view other beings different from us.

The continued rise and fall of humanity.

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